Mission water2
Saturday, August 28, 2010
7:46 AM
Car Care
You might be wondering how a car pollutes lakes and rivers. After all, you don't drive them in the water. Try answering these questions. What happens if oil, grease, or transmission fluid leaks a little on your driveway. What about tiny bits of tires, brakes and rusty metal that falls off when we drive? Where do you think the tiny exhaust particles from your car wind up? If your answer is "our lakes and rivers," you are right.
All of these pollutants wash off the car and get carried along on rain and melting snow. They head down the street into the gutter, and into storm drains. Where do the storm drains lead to? You guessed it---lakes, rivers, and streams.
How can you and your family help "curb" pollution as you take care of your car? Follow these simple steps to cleaner water.
Recycle oil. Old motor oil can be reprocessed and used again and again. It should be recycled and never, ever, poured down a storm drain where it winds up in your local lake or stream. Did you know that five quarts of oil from a car can create an oil slick the size of two football fields or pollute a million gallons of drinking water?
Use commercial car washes instead of washing your car at home where the soapy water heads down the storm drain. (At a commercial car wash, the water runs into a sewer system where it is treated at the sewage treatment plant.)
Soap can act like a fertilizer when it gets into a lake. This causes weed and algae growth. When the weeds and algae decompose, they use up the oxygen needed by fish. If your family really wants to wash the car at home, have your mom or dad drive it onto the lawn or onto a gravel drive. That way the water will soak into the ground and the soil will filter out most pollutants.
Repair leaks. Keep your eyes open for spots on your driveway or garage floor. If you see some, it means that the engine, transmission or radiator in your car is leaking. Tell your parents so that they can get the car repaired right away.
Substitute shoveling for salt. When Wisconsin winter winds blow, bringing snow to your driveway and sidewalk, use your muscles, not salt to clear them off. Throwing down salt may be an easy way to get rid of snow and ice, but it pollutes lakes, streams and groundwater. It also isn't good for trees and grass. If you can shovel your driveway and sidewalk before the snow gets packed down and icy, you won't have to use salt. If the pavement is still icy, use sand or sand mixed with salt to provide traction and melt snow. After the snow melts, sweep up the sand to keep it out of storm sewers and waterways.
Drive less. One of the best ways to prevent pollution of both air and water is to drive less. Can you carpool to school with a friend? Or, if you get up a few minutes earlier, can you bike or walk to school instead of getting a ride? How about running to the store for just a couple of things? Can you walk? Going to play at a friend's house? Hop on your bike or put on your tennis shoes. Not only does walking and biking help reduce pollution, but it keeps you in great shape too. As the saying goes, "just do it."
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Yard Care
Mowing, raking, gardening...these tips will keep your lawn and garden growing and keep pollutants out of lakes and streams.
Leaves, Leaves Everywhere. Follow these suggestions forfall leaf cleanup.
Grass clippings. Leave it be. After you mow, you can leave the grass clippings on the lawn where they will act as a natural fertilizer. It's good for the lawn and much less work than bagging them up and hauling them away. If you just love to rake and bag up your grass clippings, you can use grass clippings as mulch in your vegetable garden. It will help hold moisture in and keep the weeds down.
Fertilizer. When the nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer washes into lakes and streams they create harmful algae blooms and aquatic weed growth. They also lower the dissolved oxygen levels in the water and they may release ammonia, which is toxic to fish. What can you do?
Test the soil. Before planting a garden or fertilizing your lawn, have your parent get the soil tested. That way you're not guessing and you won't add too much fertilizer.
Fertilize in the fall. Fall is the best time to fertilize your lawn. It promotes healthy lawns with deep roots.
Sweep up any extra fertilizer that lands on your sidewalk or driveway. You should also sweep up soil, grass clippings and leaves which also contain nitrogen and phosphorus. This will keep them from washing down the storm sewers into nearby waterways.
Pesticides. Pesticides kill pests. That seems simple, doesn't it. But, pesticides can also hurt pets and other plants and animals that you don't want to kill. Pesticides can be herbicides (which kill plants), insecticides (which kill insects) and fungicides (which kill fungi.)
How can you cut down or eliminate the use of pesticides?
Plant disease resistant varieties of plants.
Clean up pest infested plant waste in the fall. This keeps diseases from overwintering in your garden or lawn.
Pick weeds by hand! (Wow, you mean people still do that?)
Do your best to keep birds and other natural pest predators visiting your yard.
Use mulches to hold down weeds, conserve moisture, and prevent soil from washing away.
Pet waste. Do you own a dog or a cat? What's your favorite pet chore? It's probably not picking up dog poop or cleaning the litter box. But, it's important that you take care when disposing of pet waste.
When pet waste is washed into lakes or streams the waste decays, using up oxygen. It also contains nutrients that cause weeds and algae to grow. Overly fertile water becomes cloudy and green and is not someplace you'd want to swim. And, pet waste can carry diseases which makes water unsafe for swimming and drinking.
Be sure to dispose of your pet's waste properly--just flush it down the toilet. When flushing, keep cat litter and other debris like sticks out before flushing. You can also bury pet waste as long as you're careful to keep it away from vegetable gardens and any lake, stream, or well. In many places it is illegal to put pet waste in the trash.
Plant a rain garden. Gather your family together and start gardening--rain gardening that is. A rain garden soaks up rain that normally would runoff your land from your roof and lawn. By planting wildflowers and other native vegetation, your rain garden will be able to hold water and release it slowly, instead of having it rush over your roof, down your gutters, into the street, into the storm sewer and eventually into a lake or stream.
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Water Facts and Conservation Tips
Did You Know?
  There is about the same amount of water on Earth now as there was millions of years ago. 
  Nearly 97 percent of all the world's water is salty or otherwise undrinkable. Another 2 percent is locked in ice caps and glaciers. That leaves 1 percent for all our needs.
  Water regulates the Earth's temperature. It also helps regulate the temperature of the human body!
  The average total home water use for each person in the U.S. is about 50 gallons a day.
  More water is used in the bathroom than any other place in the home.
  A dripping faucet can waste up to 2,000 gallons of water a year.
You Can Help Conserve Our Water Resources
At school and at home, you can help protect our water resources.
  Turn off the tap in your bathroom while you brush your teeth.
  Take shorter showers. (Get a timer and time yourself.)
  Don't let the water run constantly while you're washing or rinsing dishes.
  Fill a pitcher with tap water and put it in the fridge, rather than running the tap every time you want a cold drink!
  Clean sidewalks and driveways with a broom--not the water hose!
  Water your lawn in the early morning to avoid evaporation.
  Repair dripping faucets.
  Place a layer of mulch around trees and plants to retain water.
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